I’m happy to share with you one of my favorite go-to winter recipes for those chilly days. The soup is a Doña Tina’s take on a recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. I think the original recipe needed more flavor from fat, so I added extra virgin olive oil and cheese. I switched out chicken broth for vegetable broth (it tastes better in this recipe). And for some pizzaz, added chopped green onion and cilantro.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with chiles, poblano chiles are large, dark green chiles that are wide at the stem end and tapered toward the bottom. They are used to make chiles rellenos and are commonly sold in supermarkets. An ancho chile is a dried poblano. They are also readily available in markets and in the bulk sections of natural foods stores.

This recipe, like a lot of gourmet recipes, uses Kosher salt. Kosher salt is valued by chefs because of its purity. But remember that Kosher salt crystals are much larger than crystals of table salt, so you need to use less of it.

Preheat broiler and place poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil, turning the chiles so that they heat evenly, until the skin is blackened and blistered, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place chiles in a ceramic bowl and cover with a plate. Let steam for 15 minutes. When the chiles are cool, remove the stem, seeds, and skin, and chop into small pieces.

Toast pumpkin seeds in a pan for about 5 minutes on medium high, stirring occasionally, until they are golden. Place seeds on a plate and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot on medium high and sauté onions and garlic until onions are soft and golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

Place onions and garlic in a blender with the fire-roasted tomatoes and ancho chile, and blend until smooth. Return mixture to the pot and heat on medium high, stirring often, for about 6 to 8 minutes until the mixture thickens.

Add vegetable broth and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in black beans, chopped poblano chiles, 1/3 cup olive oil and cheese. Heat soup for about another 5 minutes until warmed through.